I wasn't saying you do anything wrong. The way I read your post was that you do simple changes while running the pattern(Which would cost you time) not as a way to train. . My mistake.

I neck rein when I run the pattern. I did agree that it wasn't necissary though. My horses are also perfectly capable of running the pattern in a snaffle as well and I would recommend that everyone get their horse to that point.

I wasn't saying you do anything wrong. The way I read your post was that you do simple changes while running the pattern(Which would cost you time) not as a way to train. . My mistake.

I neck rein when I run the pattern. I did agree that it wasn't necissary though. My horses are also perfectly capable of running the pattern in a snaffle as well and I would recommend that everyone get their horse to that point.

Hahaha Oh gosh. I didn't mean to come across that I did simple changes while running. Yea, that is definately not competitive.

And I know you agreed about the neck reining... I was just elaborating a bit.

She'll just be used for random playdays and she'll still get daily use as a pleasure horse.

Thank you all for the good advice.

Whats the best way to practice a roll back? I've heard of turning into a fence / rail to get them using their hind quarters. Is that a good way?

Rollback:

Start at a walk. Walk about 3-4 feet off the rail. Stop your horse. Back up a few steps (you will probably need to exaggerate the back at first). Turn horse (preferably neck reining) toward the fence and reverse directions. Repeat in the other direction.

Once you have done this a few times, still begin with the walk, however once you have made the turn, ask for a jog or even lope, but try to keep this all as a fluid movement. For example, once you have stopped, backed and you have asked the horse to turn towards the fence, once they are committed to the other direction, ask your horse for impulse forward. The idea is to get them using their hind end.

Eventually when you ask for the stop, the horse will use their rear to stop and not stop heavy on the forehand. They will be able to turn and lift their front end and pivot on their hind end.

Dont forget to throw in some basic stops with no backing in the mix in order to make sure that the horse is listening to you and not anticipating just doing a rollback everytime.

My horse does it on his own. Once your horse knows the pattern good, he should know that he needs to switch it on his own in order to maintain his balance in the turn. One way you can teach him is once you turn a barrel and are approaching the next one slow down to a trot and cue him to switch. He should get the picture eventually. That's how I taught mine.

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail...

I was always told that the basic drill to teach lead changes was to start by working in a figure 8 pattern. Start with the jog (or trot) and when you get to the center of the 8 ask for a right lead canter. Canter a right hand circle and come back to the center of the 8. Break to jog for a couple of strides and ask for left lead canter. Repeat.

Eventually there will be less and less stride necessary to pick up the other lead.

Keep in mind, your transitions will need to be almost perfect for this. If you cannot pick up a canter from a trot nearly immediately, you will need to perfect that before trying to get a flying lead change. Also, be sure your horse is very sensitive to your cues. You shouldnt have to trot your horse into a canter. When you ask, they should pick it up immediately, from a walk as well.

My horse does it on his own. Once your horse knows the pattern good, he should know that he needs to switch it on his own in order to maintain his balance in the turn. One way you can teach him is once you turn a barrel and are approaching the next one slow down to a trot and cue him to switch. He should get the picture eventually. That's how I taught mine.

Right. Generally when a horse is forced into a turn, they are going to correct their lead automatically. Otherwise they would be off balance and would fall down.

Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the The Horse Forum forums, you must first register.

Already have a Horse Forum account?
Members are allowed only one account per person at the Horse Forum, so if you've made an account here in the past you'll need to continue using that account. Please do not create a new account or you may lose access to the Horse Forum. If you need help recovering your existing account, please Contact Us. We'll be glad to help!

New to the Horse Forum?Please choose a username you will be satisfied with using for the duration of your membership at the Horse Forum. We do not change members' usernames upon request because that would make it difficult for everyone to keep track of who is who on the forum. For that reason, please do not incorporate your horse's name into your username so that you are not stuck with a username related to a horse you may no longer have some day, or use any other username you may no longer identify with or care for in the future.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

OR

Log-in

User Name

Password

Remember Me?

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.

Old Thread Warning

This thread is more than 90 days old. When a thread is this old, it is often better to start a new thread rather than post to it. However, If you feel you have something of value to add to this particular thread, you can do so by checking the box below before submitting your post.I am aware that this is an old thread and I want to revive it rather than starting a new thread.